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Show -3- While it was still raining, the father and mother, baby sister and Julio sqt under ths Mango Tree and listened. Every blade of grass and every flower it seemed was singing. "Coqui', Qui' Qui'". Sometimes it sounded like little glass drums. Sometimes it sounded like baby sister laughing. Sometimes it sounded like birds singing, and sometimes like tinkling bells. When it stopped raining, Julio showed them the little frogs in his pocket. "But they are not singing", said Julio, "Why is it?" "Because they are not free, said his father, looking very wise. "Free", "What means free," asked Julio. "When a frog sings," answered his father, "That means "free". "Oh", said Julio after thinking a long time. Julio had thought to take the frogs home but since this new thought came to him, he took the frogs out of his poncho pocket and watched them jump in the grass and out of sight. He saw smiles grow on his mother's face and father's face until the last frog had leapt away. Their smiles were round as the moon slowly rising. Julio never felt like this before, with mama and papa and baby sister there so quiet listening for such a long time. "Coqui', qui' qui'", a million voices were singing. |